Current ESO Activities*

. - ' ' - -7.. 7-77--2 - . , .-4. "' :. ' , '. ' 'No. 72 - June 1993 -. :. 7. c., ..; -'., *. s. ,;* :**...,. Current ESO Activities* -. .. , ' . .t . .! , .. .4. ,( 3, !? % R. GIACCONI, Director General, ESO , . I -1 43 ., . .. :, .; , :.: 1. Introduction struction. Both should be guided by sci- have tried! to'appiy these generd prin- The immediate purpose of ESO is to entific priorities and end-to-end perfor- ciples and I have used them as a yard provide European astronomers with mance considerations. stick to assess the status of the pro- first-rate observational capabilities of a The final goal must be excellence in gramme. I have reviewed the VLT pro- size and complexity which are not science. The process by which we gramme and the Chile situation first be- achievable in the national programmes select facilities and instruments, observ- cause they seemed more urgent. of the member states. In achieving this ing programmes and strategies must in- A number of studies and reviews have goal ESO can place European as- sure, in so far as feasible, that we can been carried out with the following aim: tronomy at a competitive level with re- achieve it. The only process I know is (1) Establish ground truth for the status spect to astronomical research world- peer review of competitive proposals. If of major technical developments and wide. ESO's task has not been accom- we wish to achieve excellence, ESO it- to assess the technical schedule and plished by building the NTT, nor will it be self must have first-rate staff to provide management risks. ' accomplished by building the VLT or the services and must be a first-rate re- (2) Review all aspects of ESO activities VLTI. It should be understood as an search institution on its own. Finally, if to assess the degree to which they ongoing process in which, from time to we wish to succeed as a European pro- are appropriate and necessary and time specific facilities or instruments are ject we must be willing to give higher to determine potential staff reduc- built, but the overarching role is to priority to scientific, technical and tions and. savings in some area for support and foster astronomical re- managerial considerations than to na- use in other areas of higher priority. search in the member states and in tional interests. (3) Begin the formulation of a plan which Europe. When I was interviewed by the Coun- will result in the strengthening of cur- These simple declarations have a cil last year, I stated my views essential- rent operations at La Silla and in a number of obvious consequences ly in the same terms with a little more scientifically successful VLT and which it may however be worth stating. emphasis on some managerial aspects. VLTI execution within currently plan- The manner in which we conduct the In the first five months here at ESO I ned yearly funds. ESO programmes must be directed to maximize scientific returns over the long run. In building new facilities we cannot sacrifice current research which pre- pares the astronomer who will use them. I "Future Astronomers of Europe" 1 The operation and effective use of the The European Southern Observatory is launc.hing a special programme on facilities are as important as their con- the occasion of the European Week for Scientific Culture (November 22-27, 1993), with support from the Commission of the European Communities. Read about the exciting essay contest for secondary school pupils in 17 * Excerpt from the Director General's report to the ESO Council at the meeting in Florence on June and Chile (page 9). 2-3, 1993. 2. The VLT Programme run and in a strengthening of the sisting of an integrated VLT, VLTl and scientific staff in the long run. associated laboratories, shops and The major conclusions that I have ten- (2) Development of a first cut vision of facilities should be conceived as a sin- tatively reached from this work are as how VLT will operate to carry out gle entity whose realization as a whole follows: scientific programmes will permit us will place us in a competitive position (1) Although there are very challenging to design into the telescopes and with respect to other large telescope technical problems ahead we see no instruments the operability and main- projects. Although we have examined engineering or scientific reasons that tainability standards that are re- possible cuts to the programme, we find should prevent us from accomplish- quired. To this end we are creating a them to yield quite small financial re- ing the VLT programme. VLT science operation group within turns at a disproportionate scientific (2) Several technical and scientific areas the VLT division led by a scientist and cost. have not received the degree of we are making use of expert consul- The alternate plan we have developed attention that they require due to lack tants. is aimed to carry out the full VLT pro- of manpower or expertise. (3) More careful strategic planning of gramme as currently conceived, includ- Areas of particular concern are: procurement actions could eliminate ing a number of necessary activities - System engineering or substantially reduce the technical which were neglected in the original - Performance evaluation and error and management risks involved in a plan but which are essential. It is in my analysis procurement of this size and com- opinion reasonably robust with respect - Operations and maintenance plexity. to technical risks, manpower estimates - Software architecture and develop- (4) Prudent use of consultants and in- and schedules. ment dustrial consulting services particu- - Data calibration and archiving larly in the system engineering area - Observational modes (service ob- could significantly help ESO to carry 3. Other ESO Activities serving, remote observing, observa- out the prime contractor respon- tional strategies, pointing and track- sibilities it has assumed. Massimo I have not yet been able to review in ing, etc.) Tarenghi and I have discussed with similar detail all other ESO activities al- - VLTl industrial contractors the possible though I have formed some opinions on (3) The programme is delayed with re- mechanisms to provide such them through visits, in-house reviews, spect to the original schedule. Again support. discussions with consultants, etc. this is due to lack of manpower (5) More emphasis on VLT operation necessary to do all the preliminary analysis and planning will be very 3.1 La Silla Activities studies required to draw up the call useful to prevent a number of retrofit- for tenders to industry, issue them ting problems downstream and in It is quite clear that La Silla will remain and evaluate the responses, with the assuring that VLT once built will carry for the many years before the advent of required thoroughness. Furthermore, the science it is supposed to do. VLT the only substantial ground-based the manpower to follow up the work Such analysis will affect the require- astronomical facility available to many of the industrial contractors is wholly ments we place on instrumentation European astronomers. inadequate. builders and on software developers. Furthermore, even after the advent of (4) The effort expended on VLTl has not The starting point of this understand- VLT there are a number of programmes been adequate to keep the pro- ing has to be the scientific considera- which could and should be done on gramme on schedule. Lack of tions developed under point 2 but smaller telescopes of the 3-4-metre manpower has prevented us to de- they will have to be fully worked out class. It is not at all obvious that trans- rive the necessary constraints im- in a realistic operational setting. porting these telescopes to Paranal posed on the rest of the programme (6) To progress in the VLTl part of the would be either financially, operational- by the high accuracy required by project, the programme will have to ly, logistically or scientifically advan- VLTl itself. be given more means, more inde- tageous. Thus I think one cannot con- (5) Finally, but by no means less im- pendence, more accountability and sider for the next several years (or pos- portant, there has been a remark- more emphasis. The total staff (3) sibly next decade) that La Silla could or able lack of scientific input in the now involved in this aspect of VLT should be shut down. Once this is programme as a whole. Scientific must be increased to reduce the cur- understood there remains the issue of requirements have not been used rent slippage in the necessary the scope of the work that should be as drivers to technical requirements studies and procurement actions. carried out there. and operational considerations Recognizable scientific leaderhip is The variety of different facilities, tele- necessary to carry out scientific pro- essential in this programme. scopes, modes of operations, develop- grammes are not used explicitly or in (7) Manpower resources will have to be mental programmes, collaborative pro- a documented way to set software increased in critical areas. Without grammes, remote observing, and ser- and hardware designs. adequate in-house staff the VLT pro- vice programmes which are being Remedies can be found to all of the gramme cannot be accomplished. It carried out in addition to the basic oper- above and a number of actions are al- is my belief that the necessary staff ations of the major facilities is bewilder- ready under way which should improve increases in the areas that are critical ing and constitutes a fragmentation of the situation: can be accomplished without in- effort without a clear idea of priorities. (1) Strengthening the involvement and creasing substantially either the run- The effort of the working group on "La responsibility of scientific staff in the out cost of the programme or the Silla scientific priorities" chaired by Jo- programme should permit us to more yearly budget of ESO.

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